Abstract
The Goldie's Lorikeet is a favorite
among aviculturists for a variety of
reasons. They are striking with their
brilliant red cap, plum colored cheeks,
and light yellow-green front with dark
green vertical stripes. The back, wings
and tail are an irridescent forest green.
In addition to their beautiful color pattern,
these little gems make excellent
aviary subjects which may be mixed
with other pairs of Goldie's and/or an
assortment of finches, doves and
some softbills. This is a charming
aspect of keeping and breeding Goldie's
for the vast majority of Loriidae
species must be housed each pair separately
in order to keep them from
fighting and quite possibly killing
other aviary occupants.
Originating from New Guinea, this
little work of art prefers a tropical
environment if possible. However,
they are notably hearty. The pairs in
my collection reside outdoors yearround.
The temperatures may reach
108° Fahrenheit in the summer and a
low of 20° Fahrenheit in the winter.
Obviously, they will become acclimated
gradually if given the opportunity.
Personally, I handfeed all of the
young Loriidae produced from any
species in the collection. The chicks
are parent-fed for 14 to 20 days at
which time they are removed for
closed banding and handfeeding. I
personally do not prefer to feed from
day one unless absolutely necessary.
If a pair abandons their nest or will not
incubate their eggs then fine, but birds
that are not given the natural immunities
and enzymes, etc., from their
parents should not be used as breeders.
Another method which I use
when required is to foster to another
pair and they will feed the youngsters
for a couple of weeks.
Goldie's will begin breeding at
approximately one year of age. In my
opinion, the initial problem in succeeding
is the difficulty in acquiring a
true pair. Goldie's, as with most Loriidae,
are essentially monomorphic.
This makes it a real guessing game
when trying to tell the difference in
their sex. They need to be surgically
sexed, feather-sexed or DNA-sexed,
whichever you prefer. After this has
been determined, they will bond and
begin to show signs of reproductive
interest such as feeding each other
and mutual preening.
They will utilize a budgie type nestbox,
lovebird size or something of
similar size. I prefer to give them an Lshaped
box that measures 5" x 5"
square by 12" deep and then measures
10' over horizontally for the bottom
of the L. The normal clutch size
for Loriidae is two with a third egg
once in a great while. After 24 to 25
days of incubation, if fertile, one or
two little white fuzzballs will hatch. By
the way, do not always begin counting
the days of incubation when you
see the first or even the second egg
appear. Often times a pair will not
commence to incubate until two to
four days after they finish laying their
eggs. I have found that young pairs
will usually lay one or possibly two
clutches in a 12 month period. Adult
pairs will often give up to five clutches
in a year. Keep in mind that with Loriidae,
the breeding season is yearround.
They will produce any month
of the year even though hatching
takes place predominately during the
spring and summer months.
Goldie's will breed indoors, which is
a necessity in most states, but I feel it
is best when they are exposed to the
natural elements. They dearly love to
bathe and will do so several times a
day if given the opportunity.
The diet consists of a wide range of
foods. They relish fruit of any kind,
with some individual likes and dislikes.
Nectar is always consumed,
especially when feeding young. They
will eat the dry 1 ory diet as well as a
variety of seeds. They are quite fond
of sprouted or germinated seed. I'm
sure that many reading this will
express surprise when seed is mentioned.
The small variety of Loriidae
including Goldie's, Meyer's, Iris and
Musschenbroek's eat seed and should
have some available to them at all
times.
When feeding youngsters by hand, I
use the commercially available lory
diet that states it can be used as a nectar,
fed dry and used as a handfeeding
formula. There are several methods
and tools used in feeding the babies.
We find, after trying syringes, spoons,
etc., that the easiest, fastest and most
sanitary way is to use three ounce
plastic cups. In each brooder, which is
a small plastic aquarium, there are
three or four birds, depending on species.
One cup is used for each
brooder. The cup can then be discarded
or placed in a disinfectant to
be used during the next feeding.
Handfed Goldie's make exceptional
pets due to their laid-back personality
and calm nature. They will quickly
become very trusting and, unless mistreated,
will continue this bond with
humans for years. The average lifespan
for Goldie's is approximately 12
years, although there are always
exceptions where some individuals in
the bird kingdom greatly exceed the
average.
In summary, the Goldie's Lorikeet is
a quiet, colorful and demure little
creature whose antics will amuse for
hours. Their small size, similar to a
common budgie, and tolerant disposition
allows for easy companionship in
a community aviary. Since they are so
easy to care for and prolific in their
breeding, no mixed collection of avian
species should be without these
lovely parrots. •